It took until the first week of June to get the NBA Finals set but we finally have our participants. I, along with many others, picked the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs and they did not disappoint.

There were a few hiccups along the way but the Heat and the Spurs have advanced and should give us an entertaining series.

Miami was taken to a game seven in the Eastern Finals by Indiana while San Antonio had an early round struggle against Golden State. Still, I feel the best two teams survived and I am looking forward to this year’s finals.

All my reading this week has experts talking about a close and long series. I don’t see it that way at all. I like Miami and I can see them winning in five games.

San Antonio does not have the size or strength to keep up with the Heat like Indiana did. The Spurs play a similar style of ball as Miami does but they do not have LeBron James. Teams that bother the Heat have an imposing big man inside that anchors defensive-minded wing men. San Antonio does not have a shot blocker to clog up the middle and they are not a defensive-minded team. This means that James and Dwayne Wade will have more room to play off of one another with cuts and drives.

LeBron James

The only way I see San Antonio making this a series is if Tony Parker comes up extremely large. The Spurs point guard is much better then any guard Miami can throw out there. I have a feeling he will eventually wear down. I think James or Wade can limit Manu Ginobili’s offensive game and that the combination of Chris Bosh, Chris Anderson, and Udonis Haslem will slow Tim Duncan of the Spurs down. If Parker turns out to be an issue for the Heat, I can see James being asked to defend him. Especially if there is a game on the line.

No matter who captures the title, both teams may see some immediate changes. No one yet knows when Tim Duncan will retire. There has also been many a rumor about Miami trading Chris Bosh. If San Antonio pulls off the upset, I could see both the before-mentioned changes occur. I can envision Duncan retiring while on top with another championship and I can see Bosh taking the blame if the Heat fail in their effort to win consecutive titles.

Even though I predict a relatively quick series, I love the matchup. Both teams are intelligent and play well together. You have to respect what San Antonio has accomplished over recent time and I, for one, have enjoyed the maturation of James as a player and as a person. Though I have the Heat in four or five games, I think all the games will be close. And my readers know what I say about close games. The team with the best player on the court usually come out on top. In this case, it is LeBron James.

Baseball and PED’s Are Back In The News

After months and months of relative silence from Major League Baseball and Performance Enhancing Drugs, suspensions are back in the news. And reports are out there that as many as 20 players will soon be suspended.

The big names include Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun. Information that led to the upcoming suspensions came from Tony Bosch, the founder of Biogenesis Clinic in South Florida.

Bosch recently agreed to cooperate with investigators from MLB after months of trying to verify if the players received performance-enhancing drugs from Bosch. Investigators have had records for more than a month that named the players.

Players like Rodriguez, Braun, Cabrera, and Colon may be out 100 games as this would be their second offense.

A Tony Stewart Sighting

Who would have thought it would take Tony Stewart this long to win a race in 2013? It has not been a good year at all for Stewart until the calendar hit June. Stewart, who cracked the top 10 for just the third time this season, made his way to the winner’s circle in Dover last weekend after the race was over. With the win, Stewart jumped up four spots to No. 16 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings. It was his third career win at Dover.

X-Games Could Be Coming To Charlotte

Charlotte Motor Speedway’s track officials are meeting with ESPN officials this week about the possibilities of the track hosting the nation’s biggest extreme sports event: ESPN’s X Games. Charlotte is a finalist to host the event for three years beginning in 2014. Beating out three other cities would mean topping Detroit, Chicago, and Austin. Landing the games would be huge for the area and word has it that they are a favorite due to having the facilities in place along with experience in hosting large events.

JaMarcus Who?

Remember JaMarcus Russell? The former number one pick of the NFL Draft JaMarcus Russell? The JaMarcus Russell who had the million dollar arm and the one dollar head? Well he may be back in the NFL.

Proving that there are not enough decent quarterbacks in the NFL, it looks like at least three teams are going to give Russell a chance at a comeback this summer.

There are reports out of Chicago that the Bears will soon be working him out.

Other sources are saying there is interest from at least two other teams including the Baltimore Ravens.

JaMarcus Russell

Word has it that he is finally showing some discipline and dedication to the game. And that he has lost 30 pounds. And I am sure he has squandered away all of his first round money.

It should be stated here that the reported interest has him being mentioned as a third team quarterback. Stay tuned.